Cincinnati Reds COO Phil Castellini has finally issued a public apology after his outburst over a week after his controversial comments.
Phil Castellini, the COO of the Cincinnati Reds and son of the team’s owner, Bob, has placed himself in hot water after recent comments he made in regards to the fans’ displeasure with the state of the team.
Castellini went on a Cincy-area radio station and responded to the topic of fans calling for him and his family to sell the team after not making strong enough moves to improve the team on the field.
He responded with this verbal tirade, causing the already-upset fans to get even angrier.
Well, where you gonna go? Let’s start there. I mean, sell the team to who? I mean, that’s the other thing, I mean, you wanna have this debate? If you wanna look at what would you have this team do to have it be more profitable, make more money, compete more in the current economic system that this game exists, it would be to pick it up and move it somewhere else. And, so, be careful what you ask for. I think we’re doing the best we can do with the resources that we have.
Reds fans have been angry with ownership for some time
Here we are, over a week after Castellini made these comments while on-air. As reported by MLB insider Jon Heyman, he sent a letter “to workers” apologizing for what he said — perhaps a little too late.
The letter said, “My remarks were flat wrong and in no way reflect just how committed I am to the Reds and the city of Cincinnati. I let my frustration get the best of me.”
Whether Castellini’s apologies are authentic or not, it’s easy to take these comments with a grain of salt, specifically at the line about being committed to the franchise and city of Cincinnati.
Since the Castellini brass took over the Reds in 2006, the club has just two division titles and just five seasons with a record of above .500, one of them being the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign.
Long led by face of the franchise Joey Votto, the team has had a difficult time keeping notable players around due to a healthy mixture of a lack of winning and ownership being especially stingy with their check-books.
Signing Nick Castellanos would’ve been an excellent way for the Reds’ ownership to quite literally put their money where their mouths are. Castellanos was one of the best players in Cincy last season in which he hit over 30 home runs, drove in 100 runs, made the All-Star Game and was a Silver Slugger in the outfield.
Not only did the Castellinis and GM Nick Krall allow Castellanos to walk, they also made more of an effort to cut overall payroll by trading three more of their best players in outfielder Jesse Winker, infielder Eugenio Suarez and staff ace Sonny Gray.
The pill was made even harder to swallow after the club got absolutely fleeced in the Winker/Suarez trade, receiving multiple fringe-level players in return.
The Castellini family has not done much through the years to win over the hearts of the city of Cincinnati. After Phil’s distasteful comments were made live on the air, he has finally come forward and issued a public apology…over a week later. Things aren’t looking good in Cincinnati and aren’t likely to improve anytime soon.